UTD Equipment Configuration

UTD Equipment Configuration

 
Unified Team Diving currently supports three (3) different equipment configurations or "tools" that all have different purposes, each having their pro's and con's. However, they are ALL compatible, scalable and can easily be integrated into a Unified Team. The most important thing is they all meet the 10 UTD covenants and make MIXED TEAM DIVING effortless. For back mount diving we use the UTD/DIR System. For side-mount diving we use the Z-Side-Mount System . For rebreathers we use the MX-Z System for mCCR Rebreathers and PSCR rebreathers. Below is a short descriptions of each with links to the much more detailed sections.

UTD/DIR Back-Mount Equipment Section - See More

The UTD/DIR equipment philosophy, also known as Hogarthian or DIR, was born in the Florida Cave diving community in the late 1980’s from such names as Parker Turner, Sheck Exley and Bill Main. As cave diving grew in popularity, there were an increasing number of accidents and fatalities. While other factors certainly contributed to these accidents, such as improper training and diving beyond one’s capabilities, the need for an equipment standardization of some sort became very apparent. From that emerged the idea that the equipment configuration needed to be very simplistic and streamlined. This would be the basis of the Hogarthian (named after Bill Hogarth Main) or UTD, DIR equipment configuration.

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Z-System Side Mount System  - See More Info

Z-Side-Mount Diving System is essentially “stage bottle” or side mount diving but adhering to the UTD/DIR/Hogarthian principles. It places the scuba cylinders under your arm/s, instead of mounting it or them on your back. The Z-Side Mount Diving System configuration allows you to realize the liberation and ease associated with not having the cylinder/s and/or weights on your back. Side-Mount diving was born in cave diving, however the configuration was often incompatible with UTD/DIR/Hogarthian configuration. The Z-Side-Mount System configuration now allows for full compatibility, integrated, scalable and unification of the team, when side-mount diving is needed. For example, when recreational, technical or rebreather diving from a zodiac, or kayak or when one needs to make a difficult shore entry, Z-Side-Mount Diving System has proven to be a viable alternate to back-mounting your cylinder/s. Of course when "advanced side mount cave diving", meaning you are crawling around in some really tiny places, or even when do a general cave dive, side-mounting the cylinders or rebreather can be of great advantage, especially when one can now stay consistent and unified in their configuration, skills and approach towards the dive. Another area that has taken advantage of Z-Side-Mount Diving System configuration is divers with disabilities or physical limitations and they need to remove the weight off their backs while on the surface. The reason Z-Side-Mount Diving System configuration has such advantages for divers in the above examples is that it allows you to put the cylinders in the water prior to entering the water and then attaching them to the diver prior to descending.

Z-Side-Mount Diving System takes advantage of the the cylinders and/or rebreather mounted on the side but remains “Team” oriented by still having the donateable long hose, necklace hose, BCD inflation hose and dry suit hose - if needed all are fed by the cylinders that are plugged into the distribution block (Z-Manifold). The Z-Side-Mount Diving System configuration allows for this. The system consists of a Z-Harness, a Z-Manifold, a Z-Trim Device/Z-Plus-Trim Device and Z-Weights. These components can be used together independently to provide you with an Z-Ultimate experience.

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MX-Z Side/Back Mount mCCR Rebreather System  - See More Info

The MX-Z series is a "true" mCCR rebreather, in that nothing adds gas to the loop without the diver's input. It is the next generation of rebreathers designed by UTD to incorporate the best of the UTD/DIR back-mount, Z-Side-mount and CCR worlds; it takes the advantages and simplicity of the mCCR world and the advantages and consistent configuration from the UTD/DIR world or the Z-Side-mount realm. To understand the configuration one must understand that weare integrating (merging) two full diving systems – OC UTD (side/back mount) and mCCR diving. We then dive the mCCR as the primary system and capitalize on its advantages while preserving the safety and gas management philosophy inherent to the UTD philosophy as the bailout or secondary system. In both cases we use Ratio Deco as the decompression strategy. We use rock bottom in the backgas/diluent filled with standardized gases and we use standardized decompression gases for the open circuit bailout during decompression. We average our PPO2 of the mCCR at 1.0 or higher, ultimately shooting for a constant PPO2 of 1.2 on the shorter dives and driving down from there as the dives become longer. This will allow some variance when utilizing Ratio Deco. 

Ultimately we keep the diving and training philosophy of UTD and incorporate the skill set from UTD open circuit diving. This makes it consistent with previous training, philosophy, skill set and ultimately compatible with other UTD/DIR mCCR rebreathers divers, along with other UTD/DIR Semi Closed Rebreather divers and other UTD/DIR OpenCircuit back-mount and side-mount Divers.

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Other UTD Signature Series Equipment

1. Delta Wing/Trim Device - A Back/Side Mount Hybrid wing/trim device

2. Vision Lighting Systems (Primary & Video LED Lights)

3. Solar Heating System (Adjustable temperature Drysuit Heating System)

4. Alpha Back-Mount System

5. Z-Side-Mount System

6 MX-Z mCCR Rebreather System